


A dance with you makes the world around us fade away

by Lulukaw



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), like really fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23158657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lulukaw/pseuds/Lulukaw
Summary: "A hand on his shoulder made him jump. As he turned around, he was surprised to see Claude looking at him with a wide grin."Wanna dance?""During the ball at the monastery, Sylvain gets tired of the formal atmosphere and the artificial smile he needs to force on his face. But as he is about to leave, Claude offers him a more interesting option.
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 112





	A dance with you makes the world around us fade away

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I must warn that I know pretty much nothing about dance. I'm truly bad at it myself, but I just love to write about it for some reason. If anyone's interested, I tried to base my descriptions off foxtrot and quickstep, particularly because I think jazz would definitely fit these two.  
> I originally intended to write this for the Sylvain Week and the prompt 'dance' of day 5 but I had too many ideas for it and didn't want it to be rushed so, here it is, one week late. Also I'm very slow at writing.  
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it! And thanks a lot to Naelhinn for beta-reading <3

Sylvain was bored. Oh he loved this kind of event and atmosphere, the music, the bustling of people talking and laughing, the hundreds of candlelights and chandeliers illuminating the large reception hall in white and gold, the pretty girls dancing in their pretty dresses. But he had already danced with most of them and he was growing tired of smiling, complimenting and repeating the same waltz over and over again. He needed to get outside for a bit of fresh air.

On his way towards one of the doors however, a commotion drew his attention. A small group had formed not far from him and was commenting on some dancers he could not see yet, in voices they apparently thought to be low.

“This is so improper!”

“Where does he think he is?”

Sylvain approached them to finally understand what all these not so discreet whispers were about and what he saw left him amazed for a few moments.

The professor was dancing with the leader of the Golden Deer House, Claude. More importantly, and what was probably causing such reactions although that did not make them all the more justified in Sylvain’s mind, they were not dancing the common waltz, or any other dances deemed worthy of the higher classes. It did look a little like a waltz in their position and the movements of their feet, but they were going way faster, not following the rhythm of the music, turning and jumping and swaying fitfully as though they were improvising every step as they went.

“He should not involve the professor into his foolish attitude!”

Sylvain looked at Byleth. It was always hard to tell her emotions but in his very humble opinion, the slight smile, bright eyes and faint blush on her cheeks suggested that she was rather having fun. And Claude was most definitely delighted. So this was what was improper? Two persons having fun during a ball designed for this very purpose? People really didn't need much to get outraged.

Sylvain for his part found himself fascinated. He watched as the dance was nearing to an end, captivated by every move, every turn and change in their expressions. Eventually they came to a halt and Byleth said something to Claude that made him smile before they separated. Sylvain realised that the whispers around him hadn't stopped since the beginning, but when the professor came their way, her face carefully blank again, and went straight through the little audience, everyone made way for her and turned silent before dispersing.

Not moving from where he stood, Sylvain watched as she went out of the ballroom. Too bad, he'd wanted to ask her for a dance after seeing this performance. He hoped she would come back later.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. As he turned around, he was surprised to see Claude looking at him with a wide grin.

"Wanna dance?"

Had he been drinking anything, Sylvain would have choked from the lack of any formality or form of romanticism of the invitation as well as from said invitation itself.

"Me? Why?"

"You were the only one watching without a look of pure indignation and disgust at us stepping on all their precious little noble virtues. I thought you might be interested. I promise this is way more fun than all these pompous, formal dances!"

With that, he held out a hand to him, patiently waiting for an answer.

Sylvain had to admit, Claude knew how to sound convincing. And his smile was charming. It looked similar to his own in a way and that made him intrigued.

What did he have to lose by accepting anyway? Dancing with another man was not an issue for him, he would learn something new and make fun of the people talking behind their backs at the same time. It promised to be both interesting and entertaining. So he took the offered hand and let Claude guide him to the centre of the room, his smile even wider.

There, without letting go of his hand, Claude placed the other on the small of his back while Sylvain put his on his shoulder.

“So what do I need to do?”

“I’ll lead, you just need to follow me. Don’t worry it’s easy, I’m sure you’ll get it as quickly as Teach! Ready?”

And with a nod of Sylvain’s head, Claude started to go backwards, taking him in his movements. As he had noticed earlier, he knew the basic steps that seemed to be a variation of the waltz and, although he was not used to being the one led, especially with a partner smaller than him, it came easily and did not make much of a difference. The first turn arrived, larger and sharper than he had anticipated but the arm in his back held him firmly and kept him close. The next line went smoothly and the next turn after it. Nothing too difficult, Sylvain thought to himself. Until he caught the playful spark lighting Claude's smile and forest-green eyes. Sylvain felt he was about to be proven wrong. Sure enough, not two seconds later the steps started to get faster and he was almost swept off his feet by a sudden rotation were it not for the arm moving up his back to help him keep his balance and bring him even closer to his partner. The surprise made Sylvain unconsciously grip the shoulder tightly, and his face must have looked ridiculous because a satisfied chuckle reached his ear. Oh he was  _ really  _ close now.

"Try getting on your tiptoes, it will make it easier", he advised, applying a bit more strength on his back, as if trying to lift him up.

Of course, the less surface his feet were touching, the faster and lighter would be his steps. It felt easier indeed. However, although he really was doing his best at following his partner, it was quite chaotic. Several times they bumped their foreheads because he would move just a bit too slow, a few times they almost hit some of the other dancers because he would move just a bit too fast, and each time he earned a clear silvery laugh that was making him feel warmer and warmer for a reason he could not quite grasp yet. Fortunately - though fortune surely did not have much to do with it - Claude was as good a leader for his house as in dance. As soon as he decided that he had made enough fun of Sylvain, it did become way easier. It did not take Sylvain much longer to manage to synchronise his steps with him, following him forward, backward, tapping, raising, sliding his feet in a near perfect symmetry. At one point, as he was getting more confident, he realised that he had kept his eyes down the whole time, trying to figure out how his feet and legs should work. When he looked up, stunningly green bright eyes that had not left his face from the beginning met his. The ever so present smile widened in response. Claude looked sincerely delighted, not only to be dancing, but to be dancing  _ with him _ . That was… unexpected. Both because Sylvain was not used to this and because it was usually so hard to tell what this man was thinking. But it was far from being unpleasant.

He noticed how his partner's hair was slightly more disheveled than usual, how he seemed a bit out of breath.

"Getting tired?" he asked with a somewhat defiant grin.

A laugh answered him again.

"The second time makes it more difficult. But don't worry," Claude added with a wink, "I could do this all night, if you want to."

Surprise could clearly be read on Sylvain's face, but Claude didn't leave him the time to answer. Lifting the hands that were holding each other, he made Sylvain turn on himself once, twice, three times, before deciding that they should go even faster. The two boys kept turning and jumping and felt almost like flying and Sylvain was getting warm and dizzy and it was just so exhilarating that at one point he could not hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing. He laughed and laughed as they continued to dance, not paying any attention for a long time now either to the music or to the crowd watching them, until he couldn't breathe anymore.

"You know, you're quite handsome when your smile is genuine."

_ I could say the same for you _ , was the first thing that came to his mind. Yet, he could not bring himself to say it, embarrassed that Claude seemed to see so clearly through him. He felt weirdly vulnerable to let himself get carried away like this. That too was not unpleasant. But it would take him some time apparently. So instead, he chose to put a bit of his mask back.

"Aren't I always handsome?" he replied with a wink and a confident smile.

Claude tilted his head and hummed thoughtfully with an amused grin before surprising him once again with a sudden change of direction.

They went on for a while, idly chatting when the pace would allow it, laughing at their mistakes or at the faces some people still watching them were making. It was nice for a change, to be facing the gossips with someone else, to not be only pretending not to care for once. Sylvain heard Claude mention with an amused but tired sigh how he was going to receive an earful from Lorenz after all this.

“Let’s escape then.”

Oh, he had managed to surprise him. And himself as well. The words had made it past his lips without thinking. And now the leader of the Golden Deer House, renowned schemer capable of outsmarting about anyone in this academy was looking at him with wide eyes and open mouth, unconsciously slowing their movements and searching on his face if Sylvain truly meant it. He must have found a satisfying answer because soon, a soft smile spread on his lips.

“Alright.”

With that, they resumed the dance and the cheery atmosphere they had set up earlier for a few more minutes. Sylvain was getting better and better and even tried to take the lead a few times, making Claude turn, taking him in different directions, initiating a series of small jumps. It was the most fun he had been having in a ball for an eternity, he felt.

Finally, they started to slow down. They would have continued much longer if they could, all night as Claude had said, but they were both out of breath and Sylvain felt his legs ready to give in. He prepared himself to release his partner's shoulder, to get away from the warm pressure of his chest and the hand on his back, but Claude did not seem ready for this yet, the smile that clearly said he was planning something plastered on his face again. It was then that Sylvain remembered how his dance with Byleth had ended. He realised that they were obviously following the same path.

"Wait, you can't- Claude, I'm too heavy-", he tried to warn. But to no avail.

Claude had picked up the pace again for the last few steps, one last turn, placing both of his hands on Sylvain's back… before suddenly making him go off-balance, toppling him over so that he was carrying him and looking down at him in that kind of finishing move where the two partners would drown in each other's eyes and stay still for a few seconds of eternity before definitely putting an end to the dance, that kind of move that was considered so romantic. In their case, it was more of a disaster.

The few seconds of eternity proved to be only fractions, during which Sylvain, feeling his cheeks on fire, his hands holding his partner's shoulders in a panicked grip, could see Claude's emotions go from a confident grin and a faint blush to an expression of deep regret that would have been hilarious if Sylvain had not been the one suspended mid-air. The attempts at regaining any sense of balance by flailing his legs frantically were only in vain, and he ended up hitting the floor with a grunt, Claude following him instantly and landing on one of his thighs. A small, embarrassed laugh reached his ears.

"Well, I miscalculated. Sorry about that."

The man who was considered to be the lord of calculations had miscalculated. That made Sylvain laugh as well. They stayed still for a moment, looking at each other with a smile, trying to catch their breaths. There they were, their few seconds of eternity.

But reality caught back to them eventually. The music was going on, and the whispers around them too. Sylvain took a quick glance of disdain at their audience before looking back at Claude and offering him a smile along with a hand.

"What about escaping now?"

Smiling back, a bright, dazzling smile, Claude took his hand and let Sylvain guide him away from the ballroom and all its indiscreet looks, to a place where they would be able to dance, just the two of them.


End file.
